“All Things August”

This column is not about watermelon, corn, and mosquitoes. I love the first two and detest the third, but how many sweet-home-summer stories can we stomach? Instead, I’m following my curiosity down August’s path.

Augustus Caesar started it all, apparently. The Latin word augustus means increasing, as in increasing dignity and position. Caesar, by itself, was a title, like King or President. I remember what a revelation it was to me in Latin class when I learned that this historical figure’s name was not Mr. Augustus Caesar. I’ve always wondered whether this particular Caesar, whose mother named him Octavian, was first called Augustus by others or chose to tack it to his own title to tell the world he was a rising star. After all, none of the Caesars were known for humility. We’d have to ask a classical historian about that one. Know any?

So how does the man connect to the month? Augustus Caesar finished the calendar that his great-uncle Julius (also Caesar – you may have heard of him) started, and that we’ve since adapted. Their calendar had ten named months. Two months in the dead of winter were so, um, dead, that they didn’t even get names. Augustus claimed naming rights to one month. Which month was named after Uncle Julius? Think hard. January through June were named after Roman deities. Then the Caesars lost their creative edge, and September through December were just numbered seven (sept-) through ten (dec-).

In English, august is still a synonym for dignified or worthy of high respect. For instance, Congress used to be called an august body. Sadly, I’m not sure it would qualify any more. Maybe the Supreme Court still does. Maybe.

Is august related to gusto? I don’t know, but now I’m having fun with words. Gusto comes from a Latin word that means taste. It’s the yum-yum of life. That brings me to another similar word: langouste, which is a French lobster. Now that’s what I call the yum-yum of life. Come to think of it, serve it with sweet corn and watermelon, and it’s a perfect August meal, one to eat with gusto. Oh, and grab the mosquito repellent, will you?